Creative and Colorful Cuisine
DESCRIPTION: It's hard to believe that with only two evenings in Provincetown I went back to the same restaurant for dinner both nights! After careful deliberation, there was no reason not to - our meals were inventive and creative; the combination of flavors and textures was exciting to the palate; and the service was excellent! The menu was extensive and tantalizing enough to warrant another visit less than twenty-four hours after the first. Try it, you'll love it!
DATE: 2002-06-13
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 10
OVERALLRATING : 8
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Santa Fe chicken, Thai noodles, sea scallops

Wide Selection...Average Quality
DESCRIPTION: The restaurant has a beautiful interior and a warm atmosphere; staff are as friendly as you could ask for. The food I had, though...perhaps I was just unlucky -- a Thai dish that should have been three separate dishes, all thrown in to one, made with processed chicken. I suppose at least they tried. I wouldn't let this put me off going again and trying something simpler. A good selection of cocktails, a tad on the pricey side.
DATE: 2004-04-09
FOODRATING : 4
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 6
RECOMMENDED DISHES : clam chowder

Napi's Disappoints
DESCRIPTION: Nothing disappoints quite so much as a formerly great restaurant that serves up dinner that leaves you wishing you had stayed home and cooked for yourself. Provincetown insiders are staying away from thier former idol, Napi's especially during the busy summer months and with good reason. On a recent summer evening visit, we walked right into Napi's dining room without a reservation at 8:00 PM and were seated without a wait. Empty seats during high season on Cape Cod can be either a sign of great luck or a warning that you are in the one seat no one else would take. In our case, it turned out to be the latter. We tried in vain to get someone - anyone - to pay attention to us for about half an hour. When a waiter finally sauntered over, he sneered at us that "This is not a fast food restaurant." Assuming you can get someone to serve you, you will be treated to a tired old menu that was eclectic when Ronald Reagan was President. The quality of the food will vary drastically depending on who is in the kitchen, and they will get nasty if you complain, especially during high season. It is asking a lot of a kitchen to serve up properly prepared dishes from many different cuisines and styles simultaneously. Napi's tries - and fails. Better versions of virtually every dish can be found in Provincetown at restaurants that know how to prepare a certain style of food. Traditional seafood dishes are good. The bouillabaise is usually a good bet. The ethnic foods and meats seem to over tax a kitchen that is sorely in need of some quality control. If you order meats, only serendipity will result in it arriving at your table properly cooked. I recently saw a diner send back a nearly raw steak. It was returned to his table, 45 minutes later, burnt. The vegetarian offerings are also as old as the hills and taste, well, different every time. The felafel plate, and the Jewel in the Crown vary wildly from one visit to the next. The quality of side dishes is often ignored as well. I've been served rice that is so undercooked, it was still hard and vegetables that should have been cooked but were served virtually raw. Next time you want to go to Napi's, take a minute and think about what it would be like to have your teenage children cook you dinner, resenting every moment of it. With nobody there to tell them to behave and get to work. That is the risk you run. Then go somewhere - anywhere else.
DATE: 2005-08-27
FOODRATING : 4
SERVICERATING : 2
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 2

Loved the Tivoli
DESCRIPTION: Friends recommended this restaurant as a great alternative to Boston's fine dining. We had a terrific meal, wonderful service and the decor was charming. The wines were reasonable and a good selection. This is a family run business with the father and son in the kitchen and the mother running the dining room. Their dedication to their restuarant is clearly demonstrated in every plate. My husband and I highly recommend you try this bistro. It is a little tricky to find but worth the effort.
DATE: 2005-12-06
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 8
RECOMMENDED DISHES : warm scallop salad; salmon and long island duckling with carrot confit